Written by Matt Owens and illustrated by Denys Cowan, the comic stars the fan-favorite character (portrayed in the Star Wars prequels by Samuel L. Jackson) in a story that unfolds as the Jedi Order faces perhaps its greatest challenge yet.

The first issue boasts a cover by Jesus Saiz (above), a 40th-anniversary variant by Russell Dauterman, and additional variants by Rahzzah and Javier Rodriguez. Here’s the official synopsis:

For over a thousand generations, the Jedi have been the peacekeepers of the galaxy…but now, at the dawn of the Clone Wars, they find themselves in a new role: generals in the Army of the Republic. As Mace Windu, one of the Jedi’s greatest warriors, leads a small unit of Jedi into battle shortly after the war begins, the Jedi must make peace with their new role, or be lost to the violence around them!